School officials hope for no more snow

School officials across the region are hoping this week's snow was the last of the winter. With storms wiping out a handful of school days, classes in some towns are now scheduled to run through late June.

With Friday's snow day, the Groton school district now has a total of eight snow days. Interim School Superintendent John Ramos said the snow days have pushed the last day of school to June 21, which also is graduation day.

There are no plans to revise the schedule.

State statute requires 180 full days of school to be completed by June 30, and the State Department of Education does not allow school districts to extend the school day or to hold school on weekends.

Waterford Superintendent Jerome Belair said that as of Friday, the district's plan is to add one more day to the school calendar, extending the school year to June 25.

The Waterford district has lost a total of nine school days because of Superstorm Sandy, last month's blizzard and Friday's storm.

Belair said the last three scheduled student days of the school year are half days. All five schools are air-conditioned, he said.

Belair lopped off a day from February vacation, but the district needs to keep its April vacation week so it can move into the new high school. He said he won't take days from that week unless it's absolutely necessary.

In New London, students have lost five school days. Superintendent Nicholas A. Fischer said Friday that he plans to make up the school days at the end of the school year.